Where there is great doubt, there is great awakening; small doubt, small awakening; no doubt, no awakening.

Compassion is a verb.

Craving and aversion are the roots of suffering. Observe them with equanimity.

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

The difference between being caught in thoughts and being mindful of thoughts is like the difference between being in a movie and watching a movie.

Try to be mindful and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool.

The nature of mind is not something we need to achieve - it's something we need to recognize.

The essence of the teaching is emptiness and compassion. Without emptiness, compassion can become attachment. Without compassion, emptiness can become cold and distant.

The six realms of existence are like a dream, why build a prison for yourself?

Happiness is a skill that can be developed like playing an instrument or learning to read.

Liberation is found in the practice, not in the theory.

The mind is everything. What you think you become.

The way is basically perfect. It is not a matter of practice or enlightenment.

Those who grasp at things as truly existent are like someone trying to catch the reflection of the moon in water.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to reduce our selfishness and to work for the benefit of others.

Karma is not fate but the law of moral causation, showing us that we are the architects of our own destiny.

The path to liberation requires both understanding and practice, both pariyatti and patipatti.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.

When thoughts arise, recognize them as the display of your own awareness, like recognizing your own children in a crowd.

The most important thing in life is to know death is coming and to prepare for it.

Life is like a cup of tea. It's all in how you make it.

In the spiritual world there are no time divisions such as the past, present and future; for they have contracted themselves into a single moment of the present where life quivers in its true sense.

Just know what is happening in your mind - not happy or sad about it, not attached. If you suffer, see it, know it, be empty.

The difference between buddhas and sentient beings is that buddhas recognize their nature while sentient beings fail to recognize it.

The mind that notes and the object that is noted are both impermanent. Understanding this leads to liberation.

Wisdom is not something we have to strive to acquire. Rather, wisdom arises naturally as we open our hearts to the truth of what is.

Trees, mountains, and vines all exist in nature according to their own truth. They are born and die following their nature. They remain this way because that's what they are. They don't practice meditation or do anything special.

World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.

The purpose of meditation is not to create a mental vacuum but to come to know one's own mind.

Generosity generates its own enthusiasm. We don't have to force ourselves to be generous; we just need to start.

There are many ways to meditate. But at the heart of them all is mindfulness.